Jeff S.

Hi Irene,

Thanks for setting up the working group! I think it is a great idea and am looking forward to the sessions.

About my work in government: I am currently a Section Research Manager at the Congressional Research Service. I lead/coordinate/facilitate the research of 11 analysts focusing on a wide range of issues related to the organization and management of executive branch agencies. By statute, our work is done exclusively for Congress (Members, committees, and their staff), and includes activities such as writing reports and confidential memoranda, providing briefings, and testifying at hearings. When carrying out our research, there is a significant emphasis on objectivity, non-partisanship, and authoritativeness. Previous to becoming a section research manager, I was a policy analyst at CRS focusing on information technology policy issues.

Ideas for group discussion: What kinds of skills should undergraduate/graduate programs be emphasizing for students interested in government careers?
1. What kind of internship programs do agencies have (or should have) that would be appealing to students?
2. What kinds of collaborative research projects could be done between federal agencies and universities that involve students? (i.e., CRS has a "capstone" program in which it does projects with MPA programs.)
3. Some Ph.D. programs discourage (either openly or subtly) students from considering non-academic careers. What could/should be done to reorient attitudes regarding non-academic careers? Are such programs actually doing a disservice to their students in light of the difficulties in finding an academic job?

Panels: I have tentatively flagged some in the public policy section and the ITP section due to personal interest, although I am not sure they are very related to this working group. A few that might be of interest to the working group include:
Thursday, Sep 3, 10:15 AM

11-51 Leadership and Policy Change in the Era of Complexity

Thursday, Sep 3, 8:00 AM

39-5 Policy Change and the Governance of Controversial Science


Friday, Sep 4, 4:15 PM

25-11 Agenda Setting and Policy Change in New Contexts


Thanks,

-Jeff S.